The annual meeting of the Shanshai General Chamber of Commerce wag held on Tuesday in the Cham-her's rooms, "North-China Daily News" Building, 17 The Bund, Mr. E, T, Byrne presiding. Supporting the chairman were Messrs, 1.
7G. Lyman, He in, A.B, Lowson, T. H.R. Shaw, P. A, Cox, J. R. Weeks, Pitaeco, J. Cochet, and R, N. Swann, who represented the secretaries, Messrs. Beck & Swann, "The chairman sai The report and accounts for the past year have already been circulated to you, and they do not call for any special comment. I will ask you to adopt them in due The Chamber has been engaged on many and various problems di ing 1927 of which a bare outline is given in our report, One of the most serious questions that has confronted us has been that of native bank orders. view of the possibility of an issue of notes by the newly established Central Bank, the foreign bankers decided to reduce the usance of native orders to practically a cash basis, but the absence of unanimity amongst foreign merchants and enormous difficulty in making this radical alteration in the method of trading effective led to its donment. However, there. i valoubt that this. antiquated system vot five and ten day native orders Hin payment of imports must eventually be faced, and a sounder method involving cash transactions is bound to come sooner or later.
Master for their new system of buoys which, in times of congestion, fare much appreciated, The condition of the Soochow Greek has led to representations for fils betterment, but, until the Whangpoo Conservancy is allowed to handle this important matter, I fear conditions will only grow worse, Need for Competent Harbour Board The need for a representative and competent Harbour Board with authority to deal with the various duties of the Port™is now being felt acutely: the larger size of ships navigating the Whangpoo River require new regulations that cannot adequately be dealt with by the pre-ut authorities and there are other equally important matters that require similar attention With regard to the political situation which unfortunately is, at the present time, largely inter mingled with commerce, 1 am glad to see a great change for the better, largely "through the Nationalist Government cutting away the Communist clement and the resultant change over has been too rapid' for us to have full confidence in it)
ud I think I voice the feelings of all those engaged in business here, both foreign and Chinese, when I say that any further reduction of the Defence Force will be a serious blow to the confidence that is now returning to Shanghai and which reflected in the improving trade of the Port.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.